Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer to campaign in Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh will get a boost from a Rust Belt ally this week as Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is set to visit the Steel City to stump for Vice President Kamala Harris.
Whitmer, a Democrat, is popular in her home state and has been rumored as a presidential or vice presidential hopeful in her own right. She spoke at the Democratic National Convention this year in Chicago.
She is hopping on the Harris-Walz “Fighting for Reproductive Freedom” bus tour. Whitmer will be accompanied by Tony Goldwyn, an actor and director best known for his work in the TV show “Scandal.”
Whitmer is known in her home state as “Big Gretch,” a nickname coined by Detroit comedy rapper Gmac Cash. Over the summer, she released a memoir, “True Gretch: What I’ve Learned About Life, Leadership, and Everything in Between.”
The campaign said the bus tour seeks to contrast Harris and Trump on abortion — highlighting Harris’ support to restore abortion rights of Roe v. Wade. It also attempts to link former President Donald Trump to the abortion restrictions proposed in Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for a second Trump administration written by a conservative think tank.
Trump has repeatedly denied any association with Project 2025. Earlier this year, he bragged about appointing Supreme Court justices that overturned Roe v. Wade, but has since defended the issue as allowing states to make their own abortion laws.
“This election is about freedom — and the American people want and deserve the freedom to make their own health care decisions,” said Harris-Walz campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. “Our campaign is hitting the road to meet voters in their communities, underscore the stakes of this election for reproductive freedom, and present them with the Harris-Walz ticket’s vision to move our country forward, which stands in stark contrast to Donald Trump’s plans to drag us back.”
It’s unclear where and what time Whitmer will stop in Pittsburgh.
The reproductive rights national bus tour is traveling across Pennsylvania this week, making stops in Philadelphia, Scranton, Allentown, and Harrisburg, as well as Pittsburgh.
The tour will travel across key battleground states until Election Day.
Ryan Deto is a TribLive reporter covering politics, Pittsburgh and Allegheny County news. A native of California’s Bay Area, he joined the Trib in 2022 after spending more than six years covering Pittsburgh at the Pittsburgh City Paper, including serving as managing editor. He can be reached at rdeto@triblive.com.
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